A Matter of Life and Death
A Matter of Life and Death is the fourteenth studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 25 August 2006 in Italy and Finland, and 28 August worldwide, excluding the US, Canada and Japan on 5 September. It is the first album in Iron Maiden's career to enter the US Billboard charts in the top 10, achieving significant chart success in many other countries as well. Whilst not being a concept album, war and religion are recurring themes throughout, as well as in the cover artwork. The A Matter of Life and Death Tour was the tour in support of the album, during which they played the record in its entirety. Overview Iron Maiden began writing new songs near the end of 2005, after a break following their hugely successful festival dates in the US and Europe during the Eddie Rips Up the World Tour. After taking time off over Christmas, the songs were completed and the band began recording at Sarm West Studios, London, with their regular producer, Kevin Shirley. To provide a more "live" sound, the album was not mastered. Producer Kevin Shirley said, "Spoke to 'Arry (Steve Harris) on Friday, who has decided against mastering the Iron Maiden album... It means that you will get to hear the new album exactly as it sounded in the studio, no added EQ, compression, analog widening, etc., and I must say, I am pretty happy with the end result." Speaking to Metal Hammer in September 2006, lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson commented that "Everyone was up for pushing things as far as they'd go, but the record was so easy to make." Dickinson went on to claim that they "finished the record with two months to spare," with Harris adding that "A lot of what you hear are first time takes." Speaking about the record's musical style, Harris states that "It is heavier than we've ever been, but also very progressive. And I don't mean that in the modern sense, but like Dream Theater, more in a 70s way." This is the band's fourth studio record not to share its name with a song, following Piece of Mind, The X Factor and Virtual XI. Drummer Nicko McBrain and guitarist Janick Gers claim that the band originally intended to name the album after one of its tracks, with both "The Pilgrim" and "The Legacy" being considered. According to Gers, "sometimes a title will just leap out at you as the obvious choice, but it didn't this time for some reason," so the band decided on A Matter of Life and Death, which, according to McBrain, was amongst "two or three ideas which we were kicking around." Neither Gers or McBrain can remember who came up with the title, which they state was thought up by either Harris, Rod Smallwood (the band's manager) or "Drew" (an engineer at Sarm West Studios). The album cover was created by Tim Bradstreet, an American artist, best known for his work on the Hellblazer and Punisher comics. During the 2006 leg of the A Matter of Life and Death Tour, Iron Maiden performed the album in its entirety, which received a mixed response. The band still supports their decision to play the record in full, with McBrain commenting that "I think that this is the best album I've ever made with this band" and that "a lot of people were very happy to hear this album in its entirety," while Dickinson says that doing so contributed to the fact that "the fans are attracted to us because we are still an active musical force." Single details The first single to be released from the album was "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg", released on 14 August 2006. On 10 August, "Different World" was made available for public streaming on the band's website, as was "Brighter than a Thousand Suns" the following day. "Different World" was the second single, receiving airplay on many rock radio stations. The song also features an animated video, similar to that of "Wildest Dreams". DVD documentary In addition to the standard CD release, A Matter of Life and Death was also released in a limited edition version which contains a bonus DVD. The DVD, which has a total runtime of nearly one hour, contains a half-hour documentary, plus videos and photos all shot whilst the band were making the album. The documentary, entitled "The Making of A Matter of Life and Death", directed by Matthew Amos (director of The Early Days and Death on the Road DVD documentaries), features candid video footage shot largely by Kevin Shirley himself during the recording of the album giving a behind-the-scenes look at life in the studio. The bonus DVD also features the full video promo for "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg", and a special filming of the band recording "Different World" in the studio. The album was also released as a limited edition double picture disc vinyl in gatefold sleeve, and as a digital download. Track listing Personnel Production and performance credits are adapted from the album liner notes. ;Iron Maiden *Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals *Dave Murray – guitar *Adrian Smith – guitar, guitar synthesiser on "Brighter than a Thousand Suns" *Janick Gers – guitar *Steve Harris – bass guitar, keyboards, co-producer *Nicko McBrain – drums ;Production *Kevin Shirley – producer, mixing, engineer *Drew Griffiths – engineer *Alex MacKenzie – assistant engineer *Tim Bradstreet – cover illustration *Grant Goleash – cover illustration *Peacock – art direction, design *Simon Fowler – photography *John McMurtrie – photography *Rod Smallwood – management *Andy Taylor – management *Matthew Amos – documentary and music video director (bonus DVD) *Kit Hawkins – producer (bonus DVD) *Dave Pattenden – producer (bonus DVD) References pl:A Matter of Life and Death Category:2006 albums